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What’s in a word?
Labeling some solar setups as “guerrilla” installations creates a false dichotomy. If not qualified, such a statement frames independent efforts to access clean energy as illegal and even risky, while installations sanctioned by power companies and government entities are considered proper, aboveboard, and safe.
Early this month, the Senate heard proposals to simplify net metering rules by amending the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 as part of ongoing efforts to lower the country’s electricity rates, which are the second-highest in Southeast Asia (after Singapore). Such a move is good for our energy security amid the Philippines’ high dependence on imported crude oil (98 percent sourced from the Middle East).
Net metering allows households and private businesses to receive monthly bill credits for excess energy generated by their solar panels and fed into the power grid. The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has around 20,000 net metering installations in its franchise area, which covers 39 cities and 72 municipalities.
While the net metering program is limited to a combined capacity of just over 170 megawatts (MW), a Meralco official informed the Senate that large commercial establishments independently added another 370 MW of solar capacity—pushing the total past 500 MW.
Meralco then advocated adopting international standards, such as the use of inverters, while expressing concern over so-called “guerrilla” solar setups (see “PH has plenty of sun—so why isn’t solar booming yet?” Nation, 5/5/26). These unregistered rooftop installations may account for roughly a third of all solar installations in Meralco’s franchise area in Luzon.
‘Insensitive’ framing. Calls for regulating unregistered or informal solar installers seem sound, especially when safety is at stake.
But the term “guerrilla” carries a negative connotation. It may suggest impropriety, illegality, and risky behavior, though not necessarily reckless. Applying this label to our pursuit of access to abundant clean energy, such as solar power, unmistakably reflects the perspective of monopolies and those who see themselves as self-appointed guardians of the nation’s energy security.
This framing is not only insensitive but also misguided—especially at a time of surging oil prices driven by Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. With a fifth of global oil and gas supply constrained, markets are upended, and pump prices remain elevated, threatening a potential global recession.
This narrative, especially if it emanates from the establishment, downplays, if not belittles, smaller voices trying to take part in a wider conversation over energy security that benefits all. Rather than encouraging households to embrace renewables and foster the behavioral change needed to build a critical mass for lifestyle-altering clean energy adoption, this narrative will have the opposite effect.
University of the Philippines Diliman professor and Inquirer data scientist Dr. Rogelio Alicor Panao summed up what proponents of tighter regulations are up to. “Recent calls for Congress to investigate ‘guerrilla’ solar installers highlight the friction between monopoly control and energy democratization,” said Panao, adding, “While framed as a safety concern, the ‘guerrilla’ label not only unfairly stigmatizes citizens seeking relief from some of Asia’s highest electricity rates, but also casts doubt on the motive since monopolies stand to gain the most when decentralized competition is strictly curtailed.”
Consumer safety is a valid concern. However, when “regulatory compliance concerns”—often a euphemism for tighter oversight—are raised, it raises questions about whether electric distributors fear net metering might eventually impact their profits.
Low-carbon future. Ironically, despite the Philippines’ impressive photovoltaic (PV) potential of 3.93 kWh/kWp per day—among the highest in Southeast Asia—the barriers to solar power adoption for Filipino households remain high.
The primary barrier for households and small businesses remains the prohibitive upfront cost—even though prices have generally declined over the past decade. For instance, one solar company offers a residential 1kW solar PV system package for P90,000, sufficient for consumers with a monthly electric bill of P4,000 or less (and promises annual savings of P16,800); a 5kW package costs up to P365,000, ideal for those paying P12,000 to 16,000 a month (with an estimated annual savings of P84,000).
Solar power, as with other renewable resources, can also help lower fuel costs for car owners who opt to shift to energy-efficient electric vehicles (EVs), whether pure EVs, plug-in hybrid EVs, or battery EVs.
Thus, any government-mandated regulation should favor consumers this time around, ensuring that the new policies help the country immediately transition to a low-carbon future that is also insulated from global fossil fuel market volatility.
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